


Wishes

by legendofthesevenstars



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Kindred Spirits, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:47:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26636083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/legendofthesevenstars/pseuds/legendofthesevenstars
Summary: Girls don't fall from the sky.But just after the awakening of the Mechonis, a High Entia girl does, in fact, fall from the sky into Colony 9. Lieutenant Colonel Leater makes a unique connection with her over the pain they've suffered.
Relationships: Emmy Leater/Tyrea
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	Wishes

**Author's Note:**

> CW: past suicide attempt, mentions of suicidal thoughts.
> 
> This takes place before Melancholy Tyrea, and also assumes the A route of Emmy Leater's quest (the poison-tipped sword).

Emmy Leater was used to objects falling from the sky, falling onto the shin of the Bionis and into her home, Colony 9. Usually, the soldiers manning the Anti-Air Batteries shot down Mechon parts, the outside wall of a colony, the occasional tree branch.

But since when had girls fallen from the sky?

She was supervising Dorothy while she worked a shift at the battery. She was in line for a promotion, competing with Minnie. Clearly, she wasn’t the favorite, because manning the battery wasn’t exactly a prestigious task.

That didn’t mean it couldn’t be an important one.

“Shoot,” Emmy said without thinking.

“I don’t think so,” was Dorothy’s quick retort. “Don’t you see? That’s a Homs!”

“A Homs?”

Emmy only caught a glimpse of the form of a girl. But that didn’t explain the wings she’d seen, the wings that reflected the lazy gleam of the afternoon sun. She watched the body plummet, down, down, down, landing in the water with a decisive plunk.

“You have to go rescue that girl,” Dorothy said without turning around.

Emmy hesitated to leave her post. If Dorothy made a mistake, she’d get blamed. But if the mysterious girl were alive, she needed to get her out of the lake. She only hesitated briefly before she swung the back door of the battery control tower open and ran down the side of the battery. She stripped her armor and boots off at the water’s edge, leaving her in her shirt, shorts, and stockings, and dove in, swimming strong breaststrokes toward the girl.

The girl had already gone unconscious. Her pristine white hair was braided with pink and purple ribbons woven throughout, her bangs sideswept over her face. Dark pink eyeshadow had smeared from her eyelids onto her temples. She was clad in an odd black outfit that didn’t look like anything Emmy had ever seen any Homs wear. And when she lifted the limp girl underneath both arms, she gasped and nearly dropped her at the sight of her pointed ears and the giant, waterlogged wings sprouting from both sides of her head.

A High Entia? Here? They had been part of the Allied Force at Sword Valley, but they had retreated with the rest when the Mechonis awakened. How had she ended up in the colony? She looked like she was Emmy’s age, but her features were very sharp and angular, so un-Homs-like. From her face to her clothing to her wings, everything about her indicated she was a High Entia.

But she couldn’t think about how absurd it all was right now. She would have to get the girl back to the Defence Force barracks. She still had a pulse, and she hadn’t started to pale or turn blue. She’d been just in time to save her.

Hoisting the girl on her shoulder, she swam back toward the Anti-Air Battery, lugging her up to the control tower. Peeking her head in the door, she told Dorothy she had to leave for the Military District. Dorothy nodded without turning around, and pressed fire as another bit of debris fell from the sky.

Emmy shivered. If Dorothy hadn’t refused to press that button, the girl might have—

That was a thought far too gruesome to even think. What mattered was getting the mysterious girl to the barracks.

—

“You’re back awfully early, Miss Leater.” Kantz was snide. She really didn’t need his attitude.

“I’m sorry, but you have to move. I have to speak with Raoul. It’s an emergency.”

“What on Bionis—is that a High Entia?”

Emmy shifted the girl on her back. “Yes, it is. But I don’t have the time for you to gawk at her. She needs medical attention, Major. Where is Raoul?”

“He’s not in his office. He’s outside training with Minnie.”

Emmy turned around and made a beeline for the training grounds. Hopefully, this hiccup wouldn’t affect Dorothy’s position. It was bad enough that the elite captain overlooked Désirée even though her healing capabilities had been essential to their survival at the Second Battle of Sword Valley. Probably because the Major praised good-for-nothings like Andreas and Nic, and Raoul valued and trusted the Major’s opinion over hers. She suspected Nic would hightail it out of Colony 9 soon anyway.

Raoul was showing Minnie, who primarily wielded a sword, how to guard with the shield of a driver. Emmy sprinted up to him, clearing her throat with a quick, “Excuse me, Captain.”

“Lieutenant Colonel, you’re back early. Is Dorothy all—” His expression twisted into confusion. “Oh my, I don’t recognize that woman you’re carrying. Is something wrong with her?”

Minnie folded up her driver and set it at her feet, staring at Emmy and the girl on her back.

“She fell from the sky,” Emmy said. “I almost told Dorothy to shoot her. If it weren’t for her keen eye, this girl would have been a goner.

“But I’m afraid she got water in her lungs. She needs medical attention. Now that I’ve reported this to you, do I have your permission to take her to the hospital?”

“There was no need to ask me. This is urgent, Miss Leater—there’s no doubt she needs aid. Minnie, go find Désirée and Andreas; they can train with you. I’ll go to the Anti-Air Battery and supervise Dorothy until her shift is over.”

Minnie nodded. Emmy was about to turn on her heel when Minnie said, “Wonder if she missed the evac ship.”

“Evac ship?”

“I guess you weren’t there for the briefing. Considering you were pretty badly injured after the Second Battle of Sword Valley.” Minnie’s eyes darted briefly back toward the others training. “Come on. I’ll fill you in on the way.”

Emmy almost considered scolding her, since Désirée and Andreas could really use the experience, but she wanted to know more about the origin of the strange girl on her back.

“After the Bionis’ awakening, the High Entia living up above the head were forced out of that floating city they live in. It got overrun with these big green beasts they call Telethia. So they sent out some evac ships. We got word from Colony 6’s Defence Force that a couple of those ships were set to arrive soon. Another one was supposed to arrive here, too, but I guess they ended up having all the space they needed in Colony 6.”

“So this girl was supposed to be on one of those ships?”

“Who knows?” She shrugged. “How is your torso anyway?”

“Fine.” The wound had begun to scar, though it sometimes hurt if she tried to do sit-ups. “Thank you for asking.”

“It’s a good thing we had a reliable healer like Désirée. There’s far too many of us who don’t know our way around an ether rifle. I think Dorothy’d be great at it, too.”

Maybe she’d misjudged Minnie. She’d always thought Minnie was a bit snooty or perfectionistic, but she seemed just as down-to-earth as Dorothy. Not to mention she recognized how important healing was. With only offensive fighters, they’d get nowhere. Now, if only the Colonel and the elite captain would be convinced of that.

“Maybe we should have just taken her straight to Désirée,” Emmy said.

“Nah. Hospital’ll fix her up.” Minnie paused for a moment as Emmy approached the front desk. “Maybe she _did_ fall all the way from the floating city.”

“That’s a long way to fall.”

Emmy couldn’t help but marvel over the idea. A _girl_ falling from the sky. Not a piece of Mechon armor and not a fragment of the outer wall of Colony 6. A High Entia girl with wings on her head from a mysterious floating city in the sky. In school, she’d learned that the High Entia, if they had existed, were an ancient civilization that had gone extinct. She’d still been loath to believe they were real even when they joined the Allied Force. But this girl, enigmatic and strange as her very existence seemed, was very much _real_.

—

Minnie bid Emmy goodbye after they had gotten the girl into a bed and set her up with an IV and an ether transfusion. Aside from dehydration and shockingly low ether levels, she was fine. Of course, the doctor had never treated a High Entia before. But she’d gotten some tips from a medic in Colony 6 who informed her that High Entia needed more ether to sustain their lives than Homs. So though the ether dosage looked criminally high to Emmy’s eyes, it made sense for this girl.

The nurse had undressed the girl and put her in a hospital gown, undoing the intricate braid of her hair and wiping away the smeared makeup. Now her face looked far less flashy, and her white hair looked soft, still damp from the water. Even without the makeup, she had stunning features. The sharp curve of her eyelids and the thin, angry line of her mouth contrasted her delicate nose and faintly pointed ears. But most striking of all were her wings. They had begun to dry and fluff out, especially the downy feathers near the base. The feathers were not pure white like her hair but instead tinted a pale shade of lavender. Everything about the girl was showy and elegant, and so unlike Emmy in her homely Defence Force getup.

She should probably get up and report this to Kantz or Raoul, tell them that she’d brought the girl to the hospital and that the nurses were tending to her. But she felt responsible for the girl. She’d almost made a fatal mistake that would have cost the girl her life. And she’d been the one to save her. Was it so selfish to make sure the girl recovered all right on her watch? She just didn’t want to disappoint Raoul in any way, knowing what had happened during her exam and what he must think of her, even after her efforts in the Second Battle. She massaged the healing wound on her stomach uneasily. Recently it had started to prickle whenever she felt self-doubt coming on.

The girl’s sudden stifled mumbling startled Emmy, and she clutched the side of the chair in which she sat. Rolling her head to the side, the girl furrowed her brow, then faced the ceiling again and opened her eyes. The bright blue made Emmy’s heart catch in her throat. The girl groaned, then turned her head to look over where Emmy sat, and gasped in shock, her eyes widening.

“What? A Homs? Where am I?!”

The girl’s voice was harsh but prim. She shot up, clutching the side of the bed with her left hand.

“Don’t do anything abrupt! You don’t want to rip your IV out!”

“Rip my… Oh, for…” She grumbled. “How did I end up here? What is this place?”

“This is the Defence Force hospital, in Colony 9. You fell into the lake, and I saved you and took you here.”

“You saved me.” The girl’s face fell. “Oh. I see.” She paused. “Then the ship has not yet arrived?”

“An evac ship? Were you supposed to be on it?”

“I was on it. But then, I—” She shook her head briefly. “That is of no consequence now that I am stuck in a hospital in a colony of _Homs_!”

Emmy flinched. “I’m sorry if you were looking for someone specific. We haven’t seen any other High Entia around, just you.”

“I am looking for someone. But why should I tell you? Besides, I do not think she would have made it this far. That was why I jumped.”

“Jumped?”

Emmy felt the pit of her stomach fall. The girl had not fallen. She had _jumped_. Whoever she was looking for, she couldn’t find. That person must have been really important. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have done something so… drastic.

“Are you okay?” Emmy asked, her throat feeling dry.

“I did not mean to disclose that,” the girl said quickly. “My matters should not concern a Homs like you.”

Emmy frowned. Were all High Entia like this? She acted like she’d never even met a Homs.

“I don’t think you need to be high and mighty just because I’m a Homs,” she said evenly. “I can see that you’re hurting. I understand that. It’s not like sorrow is a High Entia experience alone.”

She lifted her shirt to show her healing scar. “See? My wounds are still fresh.” She rolled her shirt back down. “Just like yours. Right?”

The girl gasped. Then she scowled, not out of disdain but something more like begrudging respect.

“You have a firm head on your shoulders. Tell me your name and I will tell you mine.”

“Lieutenant Colonel Emily Leater. Just call me Emmy. It’s nice to meet you.”

“My name is Tyrea.” Her grip on the litter relaxed, though her expression showed no trace of goodwill or happiness. “Pleasure, I suppose. How did you get that scar?”

“An M63 slashed me. If it weren’t for my comrade Désirée, I’d still be in the hospital myself.”

“So you fight for the Homs colonies?”

“To keep the colony safe. Well, and my mum encouraged me to go out and fight, too. My older brother wasn’t able. He lost an arm in a Mechon attack a while back. But after what happened to my brother, I wanted to join. My mum’s always been supportive of me and my dreams of becoming a captain.”

“Your mother supports you?”

Emmy nodded. “Mum’s always been that way. She’s real spirited. She fought for a time herself, but after her arthritis kicked in, she had to retire. But she’s behind me every step of the way.”

Tyrea was silent. Then she said, “This mother of yours. Does she speak kindly to you?”

“Most of the time. She’s got a sharp enough tongue, but she’s sweet when it matters. She’s a great cook, too.”

*She smiled. “Hey. Just saying, you don’t want to eat the food they serve here. If they discharge you today, you should probably come to my place and eat what my mum makes.”

Tyrea frowned. “I hardly think I am in any mood to eat. Particularly not whatever _slop_ Homs claim to be food.”

“Oh, it’s not slop, I promise. If you let the hospital food be your first impression of Homs food, you’re not gonna want to eat any more. But honest, Mum’s cooking is the best. I’ll even tell her to make dessert for us.”

“Dessert would be exquis—” Tyrea bit her tongue, a slight blush coloring her cheeks pink, making Emmy’s heart do a backflip. “I mean, sustenance. It would simply be sustenance and nothing more.”

Emmy laughed. “No need to be shy. If you’ve got a sweet tooth, Mum’s got you covered. You’ll love her heart peach tart, I promise.”

Tyrea’s eyes widened slightly. “Heart peaches? But how would you…” Her expression seemed to soften slightly. “How would you get a fruit from the capital all the way down here?”

“Oh, you’re familiar with heart peaches?”

“Of course I am. They grow in Alcamoth naturally. I was not aware they were cultivated elsewhere.”

“Alcamoth? Is that the name of your floating city?”

Tyrea nodded. “Like all High Entia, I was born and raised in Alcamoth. Only that I am—” She paused, not as if she had made a mistake, but this time deliberately cutting herself off.

“Well, we won’t worry about Alcamoth right now. From what I’ve heard, it’s not safe for you to go back, so you’ll just have to stay here for the time being. And if the doctors approve, I say you’re going home with me.”

The perpetual scowl returned to Tyrea’s face. “Fine. As long as you have lodgings for me. And where are my clothes? I need to get out of this wretched gown as soon as possible.”

Emmy giggled. “You’ll be back in them soon enough. I’ll call the nurse and see what she says.”

—

Thankfully, the doctor judged Tyrea’s ether level to be stable enough, and she was discharged the same day she’d been admitted. Emmy made it home a little later than normal, but Mum had started dinner late, and Magnus was still out with his girlfriend, so there was nothing to worry about. The look on Mum’s face when she saw Tyrea’s wings made her wish she’d had one of those “cameras” Dean and Shulk had been working on. Emmy half wanted to laugh, especially when Tyrea’s reaction to Mum’s shock was utter indignance, resulting in a cute pout.

“The nerve of you Homs!” she said, folding her arms. She was pacing back and forth, as if she weren’t quite sure where to go in the dimly-lit Leater house. She kept looking from the dining table with its chairs to the divan and easy chair in the corner, and upstairs where the bedrooms were. Uneasily, she asked about the water closet and Emmy directed her upstairs. When she came back down, Emmy had already sat on the divan, so she took the easy chair.

“Your Homs houses are so convoluted, and so very dark,” she said. The ghost of her perpetual scowl lingered on her lips. “How do you even see where you are going?”

“We have to keep the lighting low. King Squeeze doesn’t hold back on the electricity charges.”

“You must pay for your power?” She furrowed her brow. “What do you use for electricity?”

“Ether, of course. But remember, we’re on the Bionis’ shin. There’s not much to go around.”

“I suppose the capital never had any issue with lighting, being so high up on the Bionis. Still, I must say, everything here is quite primitive, including the water closet.”

“Well then, enlighten us, princess,” came Emmy’s mum’s over-loud voice. “Tell us all about your fancy floating capital life.”

“‘Princess’?!” Tyrea snarled. “Do you purposely deign to insult me, you wicked woman?”

Mum laughed, loud and brash. “Emmy, love, isn’t this girl a smidge like how Minnie was before she mellowed out?”

“Minnie was a bit more standoffish, but I think she’s getting better.”

“How dare you compare me to a Homs girl?! Ugh!”

“You ain’t anything special, I’ll tell you that much, love,” Mum said. The dishes clanged in the sink; she turned the faucet off and stirred the pot of stew. “Don’t even matter to me if you are royalty. You’ll be eatin’ from the same table as my daughter.”

Tyrea scoffed.

Emmy smiled. “Mum’s just cool-headed. She doesn’t let anything ruffle her feathers.”

“How dare you?”

Emmy winced. “Oh, that was poor. I’m so sorry.”

Mum cackled with laughter. “Oh, come on, dear. You’ll scare her away before you can even plan the second date.”

“Mum, what the heck?!”

Tyrea didn’t snap at Emmy’s mum, only flushing red and lowering her head.

“Well, love, you know how it went for Magnus and Jaclyn. One meal and she was sold on Mum Leater’s cooking for the rest of her days!” A spoon clacked against ceramic and the burner clicked off. “And with that, you two, it’s dinner time, even though Mag’s still off doing who knows what.”

At first, Emmy was unsure if Tyrea planned on eating what Mum had put on the table, but once she tried one bite, she didn’t stop. She watched Tyrea as she ate, noticing how her wings twitched slightly when she was at rest, how she ate more politely than anyone she’d ever seen eat in her life. She was so refined and proper—were all High Entia like this? Something about her that was hard to place seemed to suggest she was somehow an exception. What was so special about Tyrea?

The peach tart still needed some time to bake. Mag came home with Jaclyn, and Mag had maybe had a little too much to drink and was being pretty loud. Tyrea clutched her head and muttered something that sounded like _oaf_ , and Emmy gestured to the back door, helping Tyrea up from the easy chair and leading her out back to the deck overlooking the lake surrounding the Residential District. The sun had set early, and the stars had begun to come out, leaving them enveloped in starlight.

“They seem so distant here,” Tyrea said quietly, folding her legs as she sat down.

Emmy followed her, mirroring her pose at first, but bringing one leg up so she could set her forearm on it. “Are they closer in Alcamoth?”

“The stars are closer than anywhere. Not to mention that sometimes they fall from the sky in golden, glittering streaks.”

“Shooting stars, huh? I’ve heard you’re supposed to make wishes on them.”

“I used to,” Tyrea said quietly.

Emmy remained silent, waiting for Tyrea to explain, or not.

“Many years ago, when I was young, I had so many wishes.” She paused. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to say them out loud now, knowing that they were all hopeless.”

“Was your childhood a sad one?”

“More lonely than anything. I grew up alone, isolated from nearly everyone in the capital. But I lived for my mother. I lived only for her dream and for the future of the High Entia.”

“What was her dream?”

“To secure the future of our race by ensuring a pureblood would ascend the throne.”

“Pureblood?”

“As opposed to a half-blood, like the current heiress, Melia. She is a vile half-Homs who has no right to the throne.” Tyrea paused again. “That is what my mother wished me to believe.”

“But was it what you believed?”

“It is what I was made to believe.” She sighed. “It is the only thing I could believe. I had to hold onto it being true. Because she was all I had.”

They remained silent for a while. Emmy looked at her feet. She swallowed. What was the best way to try and say what she was thinking? Would Tyrea be insulted if she tried comparing her struggles to hers? She couldn’t imagine what Tyrea had done in the name of her mother’s dream. She seemed like she knew how to fight, like Emmy. Had she been tricked, just like her?

“After the tragedies of my father and brother, I had to join the Defence Force. I rose the ranks pretty quickly. I was a star recruit. Everyone was saying I was on the right track to becoming captain, even lieutenant colonel. And I was about to take the test, but something went wrong. I was up against a guy called Kantz. He put poison on the end of my sword, so that it looked like I cheated.

“I know he did it.” Emmy swallowed, feeling tears prick her eyes. “I know it wasn’t me. But every time they look at me, all they see is the girl who cheated on her lieutenant colonel exam. I can swear I didn’t cheat as much as I want, that I had no idea my sword was poisoned. But so long as Kantz keeps sucking up to the captain, I have nowhere to go. I’m stuck.”

She sighed, sniffling. Her chest felt lighter. Only Mum and Mag had heard the whole story. Shulk and his friends had been there during the test, having helped get her the sword. She knew it wasn’t their fault. They wouldn’t do something so low. But Kantz _would_. And she wasn’t sure if Shulk and his friends had realized.

She felt Tyrea’s hand on her forearm.

Wiping her eyes with her other hand, she looked over at her. Suddenly bashful, Tyrea withdrew her hand, but the gesture had done its job.

“You have the solace that you were able to live an ordinary life as a Homs,” Tyrea said. “Though you were injured in the recent battle on the Mechonis Sword, and though you were deceived, your mother is…” Tyrea hesitated. “She will never ask you to kill her after she transforms into a Telethia against her will.”

Emmy gasped, horrified. “A Telethia?! Those beasts that overran the capital?!”

“They were all once High Entia.”

“You were looking for your mother, weren’t you?” Emmy asked.

Tyrea turned her head away, looking up at the stars.

“Tyrea?”

“I wanted to die. When I jumped. But I know now that I have to live until I can fulfill her wish. If I can bring her that much peace, then I think I can be happy.”

Emmy felt doubtful. Her eyes flickered over Tyrea’s face and her black clothing. Her white hair reflected the starlight, and sorrow shone in her blue eyes.

“Have you ever thought about fulfilling your own wishes?” Emmy whispered.

She inched a little closer to Tyrea so that their shoulders were nearly touching. Tyrea’s left wing gently brushed her right shoulder.

“Even if I could afford to be selfish, I can’t let myself have what I want.”

Emmy’s heart twisted. How many times had she told herself that? Told herself she couldn’t have what she wanted because she was fighting for the good of the Force, for the good of the Colony and her family?

She leaned her forehead on Tyrea’s bent knee, and heard the sharp intake of breath.

_Don’t die, don’t die, don’t die_. She couldn’t say it out loud, only think it. The scar on her stomach prickled, and her head felt light.

Tyrea’s left hand found her right hand. Her thumb brushed the inside knuckle of her middle finger. Ten minutes passed in silence.

Mum called them in for the peach tart, and when they didn’t budge, she left plates out for both of them. Emmy lifted her head and dug into the dessert, and watched to see Tyrea’s reaction as she took her first bite.

“Your mother loves you,” Tyrea said after finishing her first bite. “Never forget that.”

_She could love you, too._

Emmy took another bite. She looked at the stars. Even if Tyrea wouldn’t wish anything for herself, there were a thousand wishes she would make right now. She could be selfish. Tyrea could be selfish.

_I wish you would stay._

“I’m glad you fell from the sky,” she said instead.

Tyrea laughed, bitter and short. “Do not pride yourself on giving me a second chance. My life was not worth saving.”

“Well, I think it was.”

Silence again. Her scar still prickled. _I wish you realized your life was worth living._

“Why are you so concerned whether I live or not? Is this your duty as a member of the Homs military? Will you be awarded a medal for your efforts?”

“Didn’t I just tell you it was a thankless job?” Emmy snapped.

Tyrea’s body went rigid.

Emmy set down her plate with a sigh, the slice of tart still half-finished. “I don’t have anything more to prove. Not to them and not to you. There doesn’t have to be a reason. I just…”

“Just what.”

“I just don’t want you to die.”

“Hm. Likewise, I’m loath to see _you_ get any new scars.” She turned to Emmy, setting down her empty plate. “You should not throw your life away for an organization that does not value you.”

“And why don’t you have any problem with throwing your life away?”

“I have nowhere to go, except after my mother. The only person who ever gave me a purpose. What can I do?” Her eyes shimmered. “How can I possibly go on?”

Emmy moved closer to her again, lacing one hand in hers. “Why don’t you make a wish? Just this once?”

“I have nothing more to wish for.”

“Please. Make a wish with me. Pretend you’re a girl back in Alcamoth and you’re making wishes on falling stars.”

“I have long outgrown such childish whimsy.”

There was little trace of vitriol in her voice now, only emptiness. She pressed her shoulder to Emmy’s, and her left wing came to rest across her shoulderblades.

Emmy closed her eyes. _I wish that Tyrea finds her mother_.

She opened her eyes, sparing a glance at Tyrea in her peripheral vision. Her blue eyes mirrored the starlight.

“I understand you, Tyrea,” she said softly. She reached up with her other hand to tuck Tyrea’s bangs behind her ears and let her hand linger on her cheek briefly, her thumb brushing the corner of her lips.

Tyrea closed her eyes, then leaned over so that the side of her head touched Emmy’s. Emmy sat there with her hand laced in Tyrea’s, listening to the crickets chirping, the Brogs croaking. The stars still sparkled overhead.

“I should hope you did not wish to prolong this moment,” Tyrea said.

“Why?”

She suddenly turned bashful, retracting her wings slightly inward. “Simply that it would be a waste of a wish better spent on something else.”

Emmy lifted her head just as Tyrea did, and turned to her, meeting her eyes. “Don’t you understand me?”

Tyrea’s stern gaze searched her face, her blue eyes seemingly glowing. “Enough to know that the scar on your stomach is not the only one.”

They fell silent. Emmy swallowed, unwilling to break her gaze with Tyrea, heart pounding in her throat, stomach churning. Someone would break. One of them would lean in—

Tyrea remained tense, her lips stiff against hers, but she did not push Emmy away, only held her hand tighter. Her breath tasted sweet with peaches and sorrow.

“I only want the best for you,” Emmy whispered as she broke away.

“You are mistaken.” Tyrea’s voice was just as tender as hers. “You have only known me a day. You should not wish such things.”

She withdrew her hand from Emmy’s and folded her hands in her lap, backing away. “Particularly when I do not plan to stay much longer.”

“I don’t care what you did, because I know you were manipulated. And I think you’re stronger than you realize, and you can move past that.” Emmy shook her head. “You can reject that as much as you want. But I know better, because I see my own anger in you.

“So find your mother. Fulfill her wish. But, Tyrea, please. When she’s gone, won’t you think of yourself? Think for yourself?”

Tyrea lowered her head.

Emmy made another wish in the silence. _I wish you could stay._

“I will only do what I can for her sake.”

Another long silence passed. Emmy finished her dessert. When they got to their feet with their empty plates, she spared one last glance at the stars to make one final wish, in the same moment she realized that Tyrea really _had_ wished to prolong their time together.

Girls don’t fall from the sky. But she was meant to meet Tyrea.

_I wish you’ll come back one day._


End file.
